The oldest pottery Neolithic of Upper Mesopotamia : New evidence from Tell Seker al-Aheimar, the Khabur, northeast Syria

Abstract : The oldest Pottery Neolithic of Upper Mesopotamia, including the Khabur basin, has long been believed to be represented by the Proto-Hassuna (Sotto-Umm Dabaghiyah) entity. Recent excavations at Tell Seker al-Aheimar, on the upper Khabur, produced new evidence that questions this view. The excavations revealed that a Pottery Neolithic phase predating the Proto-Hassuna existed on the Khabur, characterized by a distinct set of pottery as well as architecture and lithic technology. The long uninterrupted sequence at Tell Seker al-Aheimar, beginning perhaps from the Middle PPNB and ending with the Proto-Hassuna, shows that this cultural entity, provisionally referred to as "Pre-Proto-Hassuna ", was derived from a local fades of East Taurus PPNB and gradually developed into Proto-Hassuna. Radiocarbon dates for this phase indicate the early centuries of the 8th millennium BP, a period prior to that of Proto- Hassuna settlements in both northeast Syria and northern Iraq. These new data highlight the necessity of reconsidering the Neolithic framework of Upper Mesopotamia in general.